A variety of wire bending tools have been proposed heretofore including those designed for making either a right angle bend or a U-shaped loop of a predetermined size. These are capable of performing the function for which they are designed but all are deficient in one or more important respects. The following United States patents disclose typical prior proposals, namely, Olhovski U.S. Pat. No. 1,337,616; Varney U.S. Pat. No. 1,666,801; Dyne U.S. Pat. No. 2,625,723; Kuchman et al. U.S. Pat. No. 2,732,744; Swanson U.S. Pat. No. 2,864,272; Small et al. U.S. Pat. No. 3,194,038; Redmon U.S. Pat. No. 3,421,553; Thomas U.S. Pat. No. 3,604,244; Power U.S. Pat. No. 3,662,580; Guzda U.S. Pat. No. 3,847,189 and Johnson U.S. Pat. No. 4,091,845. Stein is illustrative of the deficiencies of prior tools in that he lacks means for firmly gripping wires of different sizes as well as means for bending U-shaped loops of different widths between the loop legs. The same defect is common to most of the other patents listed above. Swanson's tool accommodates wires of different sizes but his tool must be inserted axially of one end of the wire and later withdrawn from the return bend loop by an intricate manoeuvre. Johnson can accommodate wires of different diameters but cannot form loops of different sizes. Moreover his tool has numerous components and lacks satisfactory provision for use with a scanning laser light beam.